Regulatory Issues of VoIP :: essays research papers

Regulatory issues of VoIP The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has worked to create an environment promoting competition and innovation to benefit consumers. Historically, the FCC has not regulated the Internet or the services provided over it. On February 12, 2004, the FCC found that an entirely Internet-based VoIP service was an unregulated information service. Currently, the FCC is not regulating VoIP, however there are still major concerns that need to be addressed. There are three main issues that are of the utmost importance to the telecommunications industry. The Tax Freedom act, E-911, and Calea are three most imperative issues concerning VoIP.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Internet Tax Freedom Act was authored by Rep. Christopher Cox and Sen. Ron Wyden, and signed into law on October 21, 1998 by President Bill Clinton. This law bars state and local governments from taxing Internet access service. In 2003 the House of Representatives approved bill H.R. 49, the â€Å"Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act of 2003.† This bill would expand and make permanent a federally imposed â€Å"moratorium† on state and local taxation of sales of â€Å"Internet access† services. States and local governments would be permanently prohibited from charging sales taxes on the monthly service charge that households and businesses pay to be able to access the World Wide Web.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  VoIP rides a fine line between being a telephone service and an internet service. This is due to the fact that a call is initiated from a phone in an analog format, transmitted over the internet in a digital format and finally converted back to analog format typically across the same lines that traditional phones operate on. In addition many states rely on the taxes received from telephone service to run programs to low income areas. VoIP is seen as threat to these programs because taxes will not be imposed on this service due to current legislative language. Many opponents of the non-taxation of VoIP feel that exemption from taxation is not needed to spur investments in this type of telecommunication. They also feel it singles out one type of telecommunications service for favorable treatment, which will lead to other types of services asking for similar treatment at the expense of the state and local tax base. E-911 short for Enhanced 911, is a location technology that will enable phones to process 911 emergency calls and enable emergency services to locate the geographic position of the caller. When a person makes a 911 call using a traditional phone with ground wires, the call is routed to the nearest public safety answering point (PSAP) that then distributes the emergency call to the proper services.

Patriarchal Society and the Feminine Self in Kate Chopins Story of an

Patriarchal Society and the Erasure of the Feminine Self in The Story of an Hour  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚     Ã‚   Critical readings of Chopin’s works often note the tension between female characters and the society that surrounds them.   Margaret Bauer suggests that Chopin is concerned with exploring the â€Å"dynamic interrelation between women and men, women and patriarchy, even women and women† (146).   Often, critics focus on the importance of conflict in these works and the way in which Chopin uses gender constraints on two levels, to open an avenue for the discussion of feminine identity and, at the same time, to critique the patriarchal society that denies that identity.   Kay Butler suggests that â€Å"entrapment, not freedom, is the source of Chopin’s inspiration, for she is primarily concerned with exploring the way in which gender roles deny identity†;   she continues:   â€Å"yet without the entrapment, the question of identity, even the inspiration to write about identity, wouldn’t exist† (18).   Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† most poignantly balances the dual focus of her work, describing the incipient awakening of Mrs. Mallard, and thus exploring the possibility of feminine identity, even while, ultimately, denying the fruition of such an experience.   Like all of her works, this short story reacts to a specific historical framework, the Cult of True Womanhood, in its indictment of patriarchal culture.   As Barbara Welter notes, in the nineteenth century, â€Å"a women judged herself and was judged by her husband, her neighbors, and society† by the attributes of a True Woman which included, especially, â€Å"purity† and â€Å"domesticity† (372).   The concept of purity, because it suggested that women must maintain their virtue, also, paradoxically, denied the... ... Story of an Hour.’†Ã‚   CLA Journal 16 (November 1994):   59-64.   Bauer, Margaret.   Chopin in Her Times:   Critical Essays on Patriarchy and Feminine Identity.   Durham:   Duke UP, 1997.   Butler, Kay.   â€Å"Freedom and Desire:   The Theme of Awakening in the Works of Kate Chopin.†Ã‚   Critical Interpretations:   Kate Chopin.   Ed. Harold Blooming.   New York:   Chelsea House, 1989.   14-32.   Chopin, Kate.   â€Å"The Story of an Hour.†Ã‚   The Heath Anthology of American Literature.   Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 2.   Lexington:   Heath, 1994.   644-46.   Papke, Mary E.   Verging on the Abyss:   The Social Fiction of Kate Chopin and Edith Wharton.   New York:   Greenwood P, 1990.   Welter, Barbara.   â€Å"The Cult of True Womanhood:   1820-1860.†Ã‚   The American Family in the Social Historical Perspective.   Ed. Michael Gordon.   New York:   St. Martin’s P, 1978.   372-92.        

Reflective Essay Founded Online, Not Mine Essay

The purpose of writing a reflective essay is to present what you felt and what you reflect after an experience. Readers will discover how you associate with the subject on which you are writing. Your reflective essay can provide your perspective and the lesson you learned from a given experience. A reflective essay must provide a personal perspective, inform of the purpose for creating, and indulge in personal thoughts as well as feelings. A reflective essay must present a purpose or a lesson to be learned from the story. You personalise the creation of a reflective essay by mentioning your role in the event or occurrence. A reflective essay will always provide for varying perceptions by studying the different point of views and aspects (mentioning if a certain decision had gone in another direction) and how you evaluate the experience as a whole. You must feel that the experience or occurrence is worthy of developing a reflective essay on. You must remember each detail and every facet of the story for the exploration of each description. You must mention the significance and the feelings that you have regarding the experience on which you write your reflective essay.

Othello Paper: the Effects of Jealousy Essay

Jealousy is a common emotion that everyone shares at one point in life. At most times it is when a person is most vulnerable and insecure that he loses faith in the things he once felt so certain about. Othello, being of a different race, is a man who fights for all he has ever had in life including the marriage to the senator’s daughter Desdemona, who is not a suitable match for a man like him. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, Shakespeare cleverly demonstrates how a man with great honor and respect is driven to insanity by the big green monster of jealousy. Othello is a strong, confident, and trustworthy man who tragically falls from grace due to the idea of Desdemona’s infidelity to another man which ultimately drives him and his loved ones to their graves. In the beginning, Othello shows he is a very intelligent and a well put together man who struggles his whole life to prove that he is better than the stereotype of a colored man. Triumphant in proving his worth, he is able to win over the woman he loves, Desdemona, making her his new wife. His devotion to Desdemona is relevant in depicting how much trust and love he feels for her. An instance of Othello’s affection towards his wife is as follows, It gives me wonder great as my content/ To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy!†¦ / If it were now to die, /‘Twere now to be most happy, for I fear /My soul hath her soul so content so absolute/ That not another comfort like to this succeeds in unknown fate. (Shakespeare, Othello 2. 1. 199-200,205-209). Othello’s words explain his overwhelming happiness for his new wife and that if he were to die tomorrow he would be perfectly content for he will never be as overjoyed as he is in that instant. As the Play progresses Iago, Othello’s â€Å"trustworthy friend† schemes a plan that will ruin Othello’s trust for Desdemona hoping to break him and blind him from reality. However, when hearing Iago’s tale of Desdemona’s unfaithful relations to the Lieutenant, Cassio, he is Skeptical and needs further convincing, he states, Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw /The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt, / For she had eyes and chose me. No, Iago, /I’ll see before I doubt, when I doubt, prove, / And on the proof there is no more but this: / Away at once with love or jealousy! Shakespeare, Othello3. 3. 192-197). Othello’s words clearly show his faith in Desdemona’s love for him, however In the back of his mind he starts to question whether the truthful Iago is right, he thinks aloud, (Aside) Why did I marry? This honest Creature/doubtless/Sees and knows more, much more than he/unfolds. (Shakespeare, Othello 3. 3. 248-251). This quote makes obvious that the seed of jealousy has been planted, and as it starts to grow, the mind of the once sensible Othello will turn foolish leading to catastrophe. Othello’s mind starts to deceive him composing visions of Desdemona’s acts of disloyalty, resulting in outrage and irrational reflection; he starts to downward spiral down the road of no return. Once witnessing the prized handkerchief that belonged to Othello, and given to Desdemona as a gift in the hands of Cassio, Othello becomes livid and is certain the accusations against Desdemona hold true. He confides in Iago saying, Oh, that the slave had forty thousand lives! One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. /Now do I see ’tis true. Look here, Iago, /All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. / ‘Tis gone. / Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell! /Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne/ To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught,/ For ’tis of aspics’ tongues! (Shakespeare, Othello 3. 3. 452-460). From the dialogue above it shows that Othello no longer holds the fire of love within him and that his heart is running cold with hatred and revenge.

Othello: Pathos Essay

Shakespeare has used pathos in vast ways to support character development and to build the readers or audiences’ relationship with the characters. Shakespeare makes his readers feel sympathy for certain characters by the way the antagonist treats them. In Othello, Iago used Roderigo, tricked Othello, and mistreated the female characters in the play. Iago helps develop the theme of jealousy throughout the play by exploiting some of the major characters. The truths about some characters are shown clearly to the audience which helps them establish their opinions and feelings about them. Shakespeare uses pathos to get his reader’s point of view of a character. In the beginning of the play, the audience was able to discover that Iago was misusing Roderigo for his own benefit. He was taking his money and lying about loyalty. Iago could care less about Roderigo; all he could think was to get back at Othello and release his jealousy towards him and Cassio. At this point, the audience feels sympathy for Roderigo and somehow relate to his pain. Having to live without someone you love dearly can lead to dramatic conclusions, like the one Roderigo was thinking of. â€Å"It is silliness to live, when to live is torment.† (I, iii, 305) Even though Iago acts like a loyal friend to Roderigo and promises him he will get Desdemona for him, the audience knows he is only taking advantage of him. Because of Iago, Roderigo is feeding off of his jealousy towards Othello, and doing everything Iago tells him to do for a woman he will never have. In contrast, tricking people into thinking that false statements are true and going out of your way to hurt someone is another flaw Iago relinquishes; this time, on the star of the play. He tricks Othello into thinking that his wife is cheating on him with his best lieutenant. Knowing this false fact, Othello is devastated and his jealousy towards Cassio builds greatly. Every little thing that Iago hints at increases Othello’s jealousy by another level. â€Å"She did deceive her father, marrying you; / And when she seem’d to shake and fear your looks/ She lov’d them most.† (III, iii, ). However, Othello falls into â€Å"Honest Iago’s† trap and considers him a loyal and trustworthy friend. The audience would think otherwise. This shows the readers that Othello is naà ¯ve and easily jumps to conclusion without even talking to his wife. Nevertheless, the audience cannot help but feel sympathy towards him for being so dim-witted, yet gullible. Lastly, Iago uses another trick up his sleeve aiming at the ladies in the play. He mentally, emotionally, and physically abuses the women just to go forth with his plan. Iago ruins Desdemona’s happiness for his own selfish reason and jealousy takes complete control of him once he starts to include innocent women in his malevolent plan. Not only he, but Othello as well gets badly influenced by jealousy and ends up vowing to murder his wife. In comparison, Iago stabs Emilia for revealing the truth. â€Å"I hold my peace, sir? no; / No, I will speak as liberal as the north; / Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, / All, all, cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.† (V, ii, ). These actions create pathos for these two women and the audience knows that these women were never wrong. Even though Desdemona and Emilia were one of the major components on building the theme, for them to be accused and have their rights taken away helps the audience understand the theme of jealousy better. Shakespeare uses pathos in this play to develop the theme of jealousy. He makes the antagonist and his actions the key point of displaying jealousy and exploiting the major characters in the play. Shakespeare describes to the audience how the influence of jealousy can affect so many people and make them do unlawful acts. Similar to how Iago was disloyal to Roderigo, dishonest to Othello, and abusive to Emilia and Desdemona. However, the truth about these characters helps the audience understand them better so that they can create their own opinion about them.

Speaking Out About Malt

Speaking Out about Malt Case 8. 3 Page 404-405, Moral Issues in Business The case of Whitewater Brewing and Mary Davis touches upon several views and moral issues that are not specifically black or white. Case 8. 3 specifically deals with a business called Whitewater Brewing Co. Whitewater Brewing, as its name sounds, is a manufacturer of alcoholic refreshments, selling its brands to various consumers. The article in particular focuses upon a specific Whitewater product, Rafter. Rafter is being targeted to match other similar products that are bottled in a 40 ounce size. The unfortunate part is that these 40 ounce size refreshments are not only popular with inner-city teenagers but in the area where Whitewater sells these 40 ounce products there is already a community alcohol related problem. Whitewater is not in foreign territory, numerous other companies already have sold similar products in the same area targeting the same clientele. More importantly due to its popularity this product produces good revenue for Whitewater. Enter into this scenario an employee of Whitewater Brewing Co. , Mary Davis, an Associate Vice President. Mary has decided to further her education and is attending a course at an outside school, with her husband who was pursuing his MBA. My intention is to try to determine whether or not Mary or Whitewater were following any ethical practices, determine why they made the choices they did, and to attempt to determine if there is any validity to their reasoning. Mary begins working on a term project studying the making of wine and beer. Research shows Mary that several companies’ market products that are high alcohol based and sold at a very low price point, and not considered a premium product, strictly to satisfy a specific market niche. As Mary’s investigations continue she begins to insert her own feelings and viewpoints into her findings and her paper become a reflection of her personal viewpoints, and not necessarily those of her employer. For the opposite side of the case Whitewater Brewing is basically working like it should; trying to maximize profits for its shareholders marketing products to satisfy consumer needs. In this case, that need is a malt liquor sold in 40 ounce containers and targeted to specific customers. This is nothing new, as other businesses are already in this market. The one caveat here is that none of the companies markets their malt liquors under their name; almost to distance themselves from the negative social implications resulting from the sales of malt liquors, specifically to this target audience. Separately and apart neither Mary Davis or Whitewater marketing products would have been a â€Å"Case 6. 3† were it not for the fact Mary Davis IS an employee of Whitewater. More so it never would have bubbled to the surface had Mary Davis done what she did; which was to ultimately write an article for a paper discussing her personal views on malt liquors wherein she states, again her views, as to the social responsibilities of businesses that produce malt liquors. In stating her personal opinions Mary now has pitted herself again the views of the business. Because Mary’s article is viewed negatively by Whitewater, the CEO of Whitewater fears the article will have a negative impact to profits and to the product(s) they sell. They also feel this could lead to legislation that would ultimately result is direct product loss and loss of revenue. These would be fairly legitimate concerns for any business, in my opinion. So if a socially responsible company produces bad products are they bad? One can argue especially in the case of liquor manufacturers that there is heavy investment to provide a product that is intended for good use and that they aggressively help to pass legislation helping to address those who use their products in a negative manner. So morally and ethically Whitewater, in my opinion, is doing what they are intended to do. Specifically they are trying to make money, and to do so in an ethical manner. No company can be wholly responsible, in every circumstance (but in a specific few), for the immoral or unethical behavior of others utilizing their products. Ralph Jenkins, CEO of Whitewater, writes to Mary Davis to express the company’s views on her behavior and to ask her to first clear all further comments (regarding her personal views on liquor production) with the business. Mary feels this to be an invasion of her right to free speech. Additionally Mary informs Ralph Jenkins that she seeks to pursue her article further and even speak at an engagement about her views (personal ones). Mr. Jenkins remains adamant that Mary adhere to his requests further escalating things to state she can either comply or resign. So does Davis have a moral right to free speech in the workplace, or can Whitewater determine the extent to her ‘free’ speech? Also what would Davis’s best path ethical path be? The second is the easiest to answer so I will do that now. Davis could simply put resign, enabling her to champion her beliefs and become a martyr for her cause, as it were. As for the first question the answer is not a simple clear cut one, and ultimately will be an individual one. Currently there is already legal precedent that allows companies to require employees not to â€Å"act or speak disloyally†. Take the following case: In Korb v. Raytheon, 574 N. E. 2d 370, 410 Mass. 581 (1991), Raytheon terminated Lawrence Korb after receiving complaints of his public involvement in an anti-nuclear proliferation nonprofit known as the Committee for National Security (CNS) and his advocacy of reduced defense spending. On February 26, 1986 The Washington Post ran an article describing Korb's speech at a press conference held the day prior as â€Å"critical of increased defense spending. † Following the publication of the article, several military officials â€Å"expressed their disapproval† of Korb's comments. [77] Despite writing a letter of retraction which ran in The Washington Post, Raytheon terminated Korb's position after it continued to receive â€Å"Navy, Air Force, and Armed Services Committee objections. [78] In adjudicating Korb's claim of wrongful discharge, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts found â€Å"no public policy prohibiting an employer from discharging an ineffective at-will employee. † His claim under the State Civil Rights Act was dismissed as well. In affirming the lower court’s decision to dismiss, Justice Abrams wrote: â€Å"Although Korb has a secured right to speak out on matters of public concern, and he has a right to express view s with which Raytheon disagrees, he has no right to do so at Raytheon's expense. [79] The above article shows one perspective of the courts on this matter. Furthermore Mary Davis needed to be sure her personal opinions could withstand the scrutiny of being challenged for slander, unless there was very strong specific data supporting her views. Despite Mary’s strong personal views, even if validated, she is in conflict by the very nature of working for Whitewater and having such strong personal views. She may have morally sound arguments about liquor products but she is ethically wrong then for working in the liquor industry. My view is that Mary’s intent, though ethically sound, is still less ethical than that of Whitewater. Mary attempts to peanut butter spread the first amendment right to free speech across the board, when in fact Whitewater too has rights and expectations within the first amendment. While Mary is entitled to do as she chooses outside of work; there are limitations when her choices can have specific negative impacts to her employer. And for these impacts she can be held accountable legally, despite her moral righteousness. In conclusion there is no clear path to moral righteousness and ethical behavior. What I feel is important is that in the end we can do either in a manner that withstands legal implication (much of it already established) and exercise our own personal moral conviction in a manner that does not leave us conflicted. QUESTIONS FROM THE BOOK. 1. Do you think Mary Davis acted irresponsibly or disloyally? I don’t believe at the time Mary Davis intended to act irresponsibly or disloyally; however Mary should have thought more about the big picture and talked with her management first about her intentions. This is a particularly tough issue; as this does touch upon the right to free speech. Depending upon what sort of agreement the company has with Mary would speak volumes as to her ‘rights’ outside of work and expectations as to how she is expected portray her company. Mary also should have known that media sensationalism is what they are in business for. Her views were liable for their interpretation and hence liable to be misconstrued or mis-utilized; as they were. Does Whitewater have a legitimate concern about her speaking out on this issue? Mary’s concern is legitimate; of that there is no doubt. However as an emissary of her company she is responsible both inside work and outside work to present an image of her company that is positive. Or she could choose to work elsewhere. If Mary were to choose her moral high ground and leave the company she would be commended for her actions that follow her beliefs. Does the company have a right to abridge her freedom of expression? The company does have some right to abridge her freedom; particularly if they have a company handbook which specifies their expectations (within reason). Mary’s views and activities outside of work have no real concern to her company; but ethically Mary is working in an industry where serving liquor is the nature of business. These companies often display and rely on laws and policies to inflict rules regarding consumption and abuse. That individuals abuse their products is really not completely their fault. Ethically they are trying to be responsible and they are after all in the business to sell and make a profit. 2. Is your answer to question 1 affected by whether you agree or disagree with the views Mary Davis expressed? I think for the zealots on either side of the spectrum individual views would impact whether they agreed or disagreed with Mary Davis. However, it is my belief that you need not side nor disagree with Mary to realize that her behavior and that of Whitewater brewing are dealing with ethical grey matter. The company has rights as much as Mary does; and each can make choices that would resolve this conflict. Mary can leave Whitewater and then no longer be under their scrutiny or Whitewater can have specific policies on expected behavior that reflects the company position. Communication is at the core of the problem. If either side had communicated among themselves could have avoided this situation; and who knows; perhaps Whitewater being community responsible may have given Mary a different tact to utilize that would have made her and Whitewater happy. 3. Should there be any limits on an employee’s freedom of expression? If not, why? If so, under what circumstances is a company justified in restricting an employee’s right to speak out? This is a tenuous issue as there are already many amendments to current laws of free speech. I understand that businesses have a right to ensure viability and employee comments can adversely affect them. I think so long as there is clear communication up front about business policies regarding this and that they are communicated regularly and clearly then it becomes a buyer/employee beware situation. Again within reason individuals should still be able to express themselves; particularly when there is no direct verbiage that is specific about a business. I am an opponent to a business screening by Facebook etc as what a person does on their time does not necessarily prove they would be bad at work. Statistics aside we all know you can make data to support whatever view you want today. The bigger question is the legal one; and companies basically in my opinion wield a heavy sword (meaning they have deep pockets for legal issues) to drive their views and challenge you to dispute them. So one question we should be asking is once hired by a business â€Å"Are you now their property which can be used in any way, and discarded when no longer needed? † After all, today one can be dismissed without cause, employee at will. Take for instance the following article:http://www. bs2. com/freespch. htm The First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution establishes freedom of speech in the USA. There are several major limitations on this freedom: Only the government is prohibited from restricting speech. Private corporations are free to censor speech of their employees. Freedom of speech is not absolute, even when government regulation or law is concerned. For  example, freedom of speech does not give one the right to commit perjury. See the beginning of my essay on infotorts for more examples. Since 1977, the U. S. Supreme Court has retreated from protecting freedom of speech even for government employees, as explained in my separate essay. Fundamentally, an at-will employee in the USA can be terminated at any time, and for any reason – or  no  reason  at  all – and the courts will not intervene to protect the ex-employee from allegedly unfair treatment by the employer. Courts have repeatedly recognized that â€Å"any  reason† includes a â€Å"morally  wrong† or â€Å"morally  reprehensible† reason. I  have briefly discussed the history of at-will employment in the USA and criticism of this doctrine in a separate essay. The combination of: o legal protection for freedom of speech of employees of for-profit and non-profit corporations and other non-governmental employers, and the freedom of employers to terminate employment at any time, for any reason means that employees in private industry have no legal rights to freedom of speech. (end of art icle) The case presentation doesn’t specify whether the newspaper article identified Mary Davis as an employee of Whitewater. Is that a relevant issue? Whether Mary Davis was identified or not is not necessarily relevant. Once stated, today there should be an assumption that someone, anyone, can ultimately determine ownership. This is especially true if the information is anything but verbal and has been recorded in any way, manner, or form. Does it matter what position in the company Mary Davis holds? To a degree the fact that Mary Davis is high up in the corporate chain bears a more significant impact. In a higher position Mary is more an emissary of the business and as such expected more to promote the business image. However despite her position as an employee of a business she is bound to the requirements of that business, especially once specified to her. Or she can choose to follow her conscience and resign. . What do you think Mary Davis ought to do? Clearly Mary Davis should resign; or fold to the demands of her boss and refrain while employed by Whitewater from expressing her personal views on any liquor related issues. What moral considerations should she weigh? Mary simply needs to weigh what is important to her; her work, money, job and family stability or her moral considerations and the poss ibility that she would need to shift employment in order to not have direct involvement in an industry she believes to be practicing unethical behavior. Does she have conflicting obligations? Mary does have conflicting obligations. If so what are they? They are her obligations to survival, money, job stability, employment, etc. On the other side is her obligation to her conscience and her moral beliefs, particularly the one that is contrary to the production and sale of malt liquor to individuals (specific individuals). 5. Is the company right to be worried about what Mary Davis writes or says, or is the board of directors exaggerating the potential harm to Whitewater of her discussing these issues? The company is totally right to be worried about Mary Davis. There is many a story about David and Goliath where a single individual toppled a business based upon their personal beliefs. 6. Assume a CEO like Ralph Jenkins is legitimately worried that an employee is making damaging statements about the company. How should the CEO handle the situation? My opinion is that the CEO would need to sit with the employee and state the business doctrine as it were. Next would be to ask open ended questions to see if there was an option where both needs could be met satisfactorily without any negative repercussions to either party involved. Is discharge or some sort of discipline called for? Initially, discharge or discipline may not be called for; unless policies had been clearly stated beforehand. Should the company adopt a formal policy regarding employee speech? All companies should have formal policies regarding employee speech. Moreover these should be communicated in plain simple language and reiterated yearly to ensure everyone remains cognizant of the policies. If so, what policy would you recommend? I recommend a policy that is developed with the individuals at all levels of the business to ensure varied concerns are addressed and the needs of the business (their viewpoint) is clearly understood. Works Cited Customer, A. â€Å"Amazon. com: Moral Issues in Business (9780495007173): William H. Shaw, Vincent Barry: Books. † Amazon. com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. . â€Å"First Amendment to the United States Constitution. † Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. . â€Å"Freedom of Speech. † Dr. R. Standler's Professional Homepage. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. ;http://www. rbs2. com/freespch. htm;.

Cloud Services Go Mainstream

Case Study 3. 4 – Salesforce. Com: Cloud Services Go Mainstream 1. How does Salesforce. com use cloud computing? Salesforce. com provides customer relationship management and other software applications using the software-as-a-service business model over the Internet. Cloud computing, also known as on-demand computing, eliminates the need for a business to make large up-front hardware and software investments and reduces the time to implement new programs. Subscribers to Salesforce. om don’t have to purchase or maintain any hardware (albeit personal computing devices) nor do they have to install any special operating systems, database servers, or application servers. Other than the monthly user subscription fee, businesses reduce their licensing and maintenance fees. Users access the Salesforce. com cloud through a standard Web browser or a mobile handheld device. Businesses using the Salesforce. com’s cloud have an easier time scaling their system as they increa se or decrease their workforce – they adjust the number of subscriptions to the cloud.Salesforce. com offers some customization of its software so a business can adjust the software to unique business processes. It offers three types of clouds: Sales cloud, service cloud, and the custom cloud. The sales and service clouds help businesses improve sales and customer service. The custom cloud provides a venue for customers to develop their own applications for use within the broader Salesforce network. 2. What are some of the challenges facing Salesforce as it continues its growth? How well will it be able to meet those challenges? Challenges include: Increased competition both from traditional industry leaders and new challengers hoping to replicate Salesforce’s success -Expanding its business model into other areas -Ensuring the system is available 24/7 with no outages -Defending the system against security breeches Salesforce is answering the first two challenges by pa rtnering with Google and combining its services with Gmail, GoogleDocs, Google Talk, and Google Calendar to allow its customers to accomplish more tasks via the Web . Salesforce. comand Google both hope that their Salesforce. com for Google Apps nitiative will galvanize further growth in on-demand software. By partnering with Apple, Salesforce. com can expand its applications to iPhone users who will have access to their data anywhere any time. Through its partnership with Amazon. com, Force customers can tap into Amazon. com’s cloud computing services that can handle â€Å"cloud burst computing† tasks that require extra processing power or storage capacity. Salesforce opened up its Custom Cloud (also known as Force. com) application development platform to other independent software developers and listed their programs on its AppExchange.The company introduced a development tool for integrating with Facebook’s social network that allows customers to build appli cations that call functions at the Facebook site. Small businesses can go online and download software applications, some add-ons to Salesforce. com and others that are unrelated. In order to grow its revenues to levels that industry observers and Wall Street eventually expects, Salesforce will need to change its focus from selling a suite of software applications to providing a broader cloud computing â€Å"platform† on which many software companies can deliver applications.To ensure system availability, Salesforce. com provides tools to assure customers about its system reliability and also offers PC applications that tie into their services so users can work offline. 3. What kinds of businesses could benefit from switching to Salesforce and why? Small to medium-size businesses are probably the most likely ones to switch to Salesforce. com because of cost factors and the lack of having in-house resources to provide the same level of computing capacity.Businesses that are tr ying to increase the sophistication of their computing capabilities could also benefit from switching to Salesforce as long as the two are compatible. Businesses that rely on smart customer management would benefit greatly from using the tools available at Salesforce. com. Also companies that have small sales and marketing teams can benefit from the software-as-a-service business model. 4. What factors would you take into account in deciding whether to use Saleforce. com for your business?Businesses should assess the costs and benefits of the service, weighing all people, organization, and technology issues. Does the software-as-a-service application integrate well with the existing systems? Does it deliver a level of service and performance that’s acceptable for the business? Does the SaaS fit with the business’ overall competitive strategy and allow the company to focus on core business issues instead of technology challenges? 5. Could a company run its entire busine ss using Salesforce. com, Force. com, and App Exchange?Explain your answer. Depending on the type of business, a company probably could run its entire operations using Salesforce. com, Force. com, and App Exchange. All four major functional areas of a business are supported: Sales and Marketing, Manufacturing and Production, Finance, and Human Resources. There are dozens of applications available to fully support all of these areas. It would be a matter of integrating the software from Salesforce. com and App Exchange with any existing legacy systems within the business.